


Konoha Mental Health

by Figgyfan14



Category: Naruto
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe - Mental Institution, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Has Issues, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-29
Updated: 2016-06-04
Packaged: 2018-05-29 20:53:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6393394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Figgyfan14/pseuds/Figgyfan14
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Konoha Mental Health is home to many patients with varying issues, and Naruto is just one in a long line of them. With Kyuubi constantly scratching at his mind, he hasn't known peace in as long as he can remember, but he's worked hard to get as much as he can, and he doesn't appreciate a certain bastard showing up and ruining that...<br/>I am unsure of the warnings here, but I think a trigger warning for mental health issues definitely applies here.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I should not be writing this. I really shouldn't. But I'm going to. Trigger warnings for everything from Anorexia to Self-harm to Schizophrenia. This first chapter is, as usual, a sort of beta, so lemme know if I should continue or refocus my attentions, yeah? ^^ Um, apologies in advance to anyone who reads this and has actually been in a mental health facility and sees all the inaccuracy... Because I'm sure I know absolutely nothing compared to you, so I apologize again in advance.

Naruto sat in the cafeteria, a crowd of his peers surrounding him, as he shoved marshmallow after marshmallow into his mouth. A tally was being shouted by half the members of the crowd, while the other half shouted a number one higher. Choji was across from him, doing the same, and both had just hit twenty seven when Naruto gagged and marshmallows went everywhere.

“Fuck!” He cursed as Choji’s half of the crowd cheered and Choji himself let out a muted noise and started to chew, grinning after he swallowed.

“Yeah! Pay up!” Choji crowed, holding out his hand as Naruto groaned and thumped his head against the table.

Kyuubi laughed tauntingly in his head and he mumbled at him to shut up, but handed over the last bag of barbecue potato chips. The prize of their competition. “You're lucky I don't have anger issues like Ino’s or you never would have even gotten a contest!” The blonde whined, pouting and crossing his arms over his chest.

Ino, sitting next to Choji, glared at him and clearly would have punched him if the new orderly, Kurenai, wasn't watching the distuptive group closely. Naruto just grinned back at her and snickered as Kyuubi whispered that she looked like an annoyed cat.

“As if Ino would even want those chips, Naruto!” Sakura huffed from his right, rolling her eyes and flipping her long pink hair as she smiled at her blonde girlfriend. Ino gave her a smirk back and Naruto shuddered and scooted away.

“Yeah, just… keep your weird over there.” He muttered, wiping the marshmallows into a napkin and balling it up on his tray.

Ino only ate at dinner anyway, but no one brought that up.

Shikamaru, on the other side of Choji, just glared at his shadow like usual and ignored them all, possibly mumbling something about them being a drag. He never let his shadow out of his sight, anyway, so Naruto thought that he was a drag.

Kiba, however, was probably his favorite of their group, and barked happily, pouncing on the shadow Shikamaru was eyeing and grinning up at him from the floor when the Nara boy jerked as he came into contact with it, scooting away. Naruto sighed, though, when Kiba kept chasing the shadow and whistled softly, trying not to draw the orderlies’ attention. He was sure Kakashi noticed, because he noticed everything, but the pervert just kept reading his porn, a veteran of dealing with them. It wasn't an issue, anyway, because Kiba perked up at his whistle and bolted over so Naruto could pat his head, effectively distracting the dog-minded boy. He shrugged off Shikamaru’s thankful look, and grinned brightly at Kurenai as she eyed them all.

She wouldn't do anything, of course. She had learned that Naruto kept everyone ‘sane’ without any need for help on her first day there. The only time shit hit the fan was when he was the one causing trouble. Which wasn't often, despite the large whisker-like scars on his face and his fondness for talking to seemingly no one.

As lunch ended and group therapy neared, the table split up to deal with their own bodily functions or socialize outside their group, and Naruto found himself wandering over to greet his other favorite person, Gaara. He got a glare for his smile as he sat across from Gaara at the ginger’s table.

Gaara probably wouldn't try to kill him that day if he was glaring instead of smiling, so he even took the liberty of tapping his foot against the other’s.

“I see you skipped lunch again. Did someone make a ‘your mama’ joke?” The blonde grinned and Gaara’s face slid from a glare to a sneer.

“I only eat the flesh of my enemies.” He growled. Translation: He was vegan and got there after the salads were gone. That happened on meatloaf day. No one liked the meatloaf.

“Yeah, yeah, you should still have eaten something. I'll get Kakashi to bring me some chips from the lounge if you want.” He offered, and green eyes softened slightly but the other still shook his head.

“Mother doesn't want me to get into trouble. Last time we had a new orderly, I got locked up in solitary for a week.” Gaara muttered, glaring at Kurenai with enough venom that she actually turned away from them. Naruto remembered the issue he was referring to. That asshole Kabuto had seen him lunge at Naruto and had been on him before Naruto could explain that Gaara just sometimes needed to let out a little violence. He was always game to fight the smaller man, even when ‘Mother’ took over.

“Oh, Kakashi won't let that happen over a bag of Funyuns. He'll probably even let you eat them in group if you want to wait until Kurenai has her own issues to deal with.” Naruto didn't like his friends skipping meals. He even got Asuma to get a dogbowl for Kiba to eat from after the boy had gone a week with no food when he first arrived. After a year there, Kiba was much better, and he even ate with a spoon sometimes if he liked the soup, so Naruto had earned the trust he was given.

Gaara dropped his glare from Kurenai to the table between them and his face fell into something dangerously close to a pout. “Do you think he would?” He muttered, hazarding a glance at Kakashi, who was the closest orderly.

“Of course he would! Kakashi’s cool, don't worry about it!” Naruto grinned more brightly as he bumped his foot against Gaara’s again and stood, wandering around the room and chatting idly with a few people to avoid drawing attention before he made his way back over to Kakashi, bumping him ‘accidentally’.

“Yo.” The silver-haired man greeted, not looking up from his book, and Naruto plastered on his fakest smile.

“I'll get Jiraiya to send me the manuscript of his next book and give you the first chapter of it if you bring some Funyuns to group for Gaara today.” The blonde waggled his eyebrows as Kakashi’s single grey eye snapped to his face, and the orderly didn't say anything, simply nodding. That was enough. Naruto chuckled and his smile was much more genuine as he nodded back and made his way back over to Gaara’s table.

He got another glare from the ginger, but with less venom, as he sat back down. They only had three minutes before group, but Naruto noticed Kakashi casually walking in the direction of the lounge, so he knew they had time. Kakashi was always late to group anyway.

“Mother wants me to kill you again if you get us in trouble.” Gaara muttered, but Naruto knew that was as close to thanks as he ever got from his little friend, so he just huffed a laugh, ignoring Kyuubi’s threatened harm for the comment.

“Well, you'll have to beat Sakura to it if we're late again, so we may want to join Kakashi when he starts over there.” He could feel the glare she was directing at them, and watched Gaara flick his own glare in her direction, but Rock Lee was distracting her with loud declarations of love just moments later, so he wasn't worried about her coming over to bother them.

“She'll lose a hand before she can try.” The ginger growled, and Naruto could see his eyes glazing dangerously.

“Hey, Ra, don't worry about her. She couldn't lay a single nail on me and you know it.” Naruto took the risk of dropping his hand gently onto Gaara’s arm, and green eyes snapped to meet blue ones, slowly losing the gleam that Naruto associated with Mother. When they were fully back to their usual green, a soft flush came to Gaara’s cheeks, and he slowly pulled his arm away from Naruto.

“Let's go.” He muttered, and Naruto glanced back to realize Kakashi had passed them while Naruto wasn't paying attention. Group would be starting, and a bag of Funyuns was sitting against the chair Kakashi had taken.

Their group met at a table in the corner of the cafeteria, and consisted of Naruto, Sakura, Gaara, Rock Lee, and Kakashi. They had had Ino and Neji as well, but when Kabuto was hired, all the group sizes dropped. With his recent change in field and promotion to a medical (and more specifically pharmaceutical) position, Kurenai had been hired and took over his group. Naruto was just glad he had never had to deal with anyone but Kakashi. Well, other than Iruka, who specialized in schizophrenia and met with individuals once a week.

Kyuubi was restless, and had Naruto fidgeting with his hands and chewing his nails all through the boring session, unable to concentrate past the growls and harsh words his inner demon spoke. At one point, Gaara noticed him starting to scratch at the scars on his face and dropped a hand onto his knee, offering him a Funyun silently and snapping him out of his daze. He shook his head and tried to listen to Sakura talking about her anger management exercises, but he found himself staring at her throat as Kyuubi snarled about ripping it out, so he had to stop listening and focus as intensely as he could on counting the dots in the ceiling tiles.

He really needed to run.

All eyes turned to Naruto, and he realized he had spoken aloud, but not one set was judging him, and that simple fact made him almost want to cry with relief. “K-kyuubi is restless. He won't shut up until I wear myself out. I need to run. Can I take laps or go to the gym?”

He didn't usually speak about Kyuubi in group. It made the fox angry, but it wasn't actually a fox, and he knew that. It was just a voice in his head, a part of his brain that conjured images of the most terrifying blood-red ninetails he could have imagined and made it pace and snap at him, usually from behind the safety of the bars Iruka had helped him construct in his mind. Sometimes it got out, though, and that was when he had episodes. It was pressing at the bars now, clawing and trying to escape. He really needed to run.

Kakashi was more understanding than Naruto had ever hoped for when he was sent to Konoha Mental Health, and he smiled faintly, glancing at the light coming in through the window. “Let's take this outside, shall we? Naruto can run laps, and anyone who needs to join him can do so. The rest of us will talk it out.” He suggested, and Rock Lee was the first to his feet.

“If I cannot run twice as many laps as Naruto, it is five hundred pushups!” He exclaimed, and Kakashi sighed. Lee consistently attempted to push himself too far and had to be reprimanded or sometimes sedated.

“Alright, then.” The silver-haired ‘team leader’ muttered as they all stood and followed him out the door into the building’s main hall and through the multiple halls and doors into the yard. The medical facility stood on ten square acres of woods, with a large open yard surrounding the building and a fence twenty feet high surrounding the entirety of it and a ten foot fence surrounding the yard. It was peaceful and calm, and no one had ever gotten in or out without an escort.

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as Kyuubi seemed to calm some in the outdoors, no longer actively trying to escape, though he did press against the bars more. He loved to run. Naruto loved to run, but Kyuubi was the half of him that enjoyed it most, and he started out at a jog as the rest of the group settled on a bench under the huge oak that was the only tree within the ten foot fence. He ran along that fence, not even glancing at Lee as the other ran beside him, and Naruto’s jog increased to a run, then a full out sprint that left him winded and feeling more alive than anything else he knew of.

Seconds into the sprint, he cautiously opened Kyuubi’s cage, control still focused like Iruka had taught him, and the fox seemed to melt directly into the ground he stood on, mixing seemlessly with Naruto’s other thoughts and boosting his speed until he couldn't even feel the ground he was running on. It was like flying free, and it was Naruto’s favorite feeling in the world.

After minutes of sprinting, Naruto felt like his lungs were going to burst, and he started to slow, panting and sweating and shaking as he eventually came to a stop, the voice silent in his head. He stumbled over to the oak, falling onto the bench next to Kakashi and stretching his legs out, folding his arms on top of his head to open his lungs more. Kakashi gave him his usual lazy half-smile, and Gaara’s blank face was as calming as the relief he could see when he met his green eyes. No one appreciated a true visit from Kyuubi. Even Sakura smiled at him as he came down from the high of the run.

“I think it's time to head inside. If you want to go to the library, we can, and you're otherwise free until curfew.” Kakashi smiled at them all lazily, then turned his head and sighed at the sight of Lee still running laps.

“I'll get him.” Sakura offered, and they all shrugged and started for the door as she stepped into Lee’s path and glared him down when he turned the corner. They ignored his shouts of persistence and determination followed by whimpers of apology, and by the time they glanced back from just inside the door, Sakura and Lee were catching up with them and following them inside.

Things could have been worse, and they could have been better, but every day was a lottery in Konoha, and some days were just better than others.

~*~

Naruto woke up with a pit in his stomach and Kyuubi pacing his mind anxiously.

Something was different. He could feel it in the air. He just didn't know what. It didn't take him long to figure it out.

His name was Sasuke Uchiha, and he set Kyuubi on edge. That meant he set Naruto on edge. The blonde didn't know why. It was completely irrational.

Naruto was tall, blonde, and buff. His hair was always messy, his skin was tan no matter the time of year, and he was active in a way that kept him cut in the muscles department. He was strong and fast and could take anyone in a fight with the brutal edge Kyuubi gave his attacks.

Sasuke was slender and pale, muscled in a way meant for fast and precise striking. His skin was the color of milk, his hair and eyes as black as pits to hell. He wouldn't be able to take Naruto in a fight, but the blonde still felt like he was dangerous. And man, did that turn him on.

Naruto had never met someone who not only made him want them, but made Kyuubi want them as well. Not even his beautiful first girlfriend Hinata had appealed to the fox at all, and that this sullen, lanky man was appealing to everything in him set Naruto on edge in a way he never had been before.

Then the asshole had to open his mouth and ruin it. What a bastard.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this has been edited by the lovely human Mahlyeki Dyavol, and I am forever in her debt! On the other hand, I am in absolute hate of the Google Docs app because of this fic. This entire chapter was written up, entirely differently, about 24 hours after I posted the first one. That damn app deleted my chapter TWICE -_-  
> My former warnings apply, and I ask you all to please be careful with yourselves, because I don't ever want to hurt anyone with my writing! I hope you can enjoy this!

Sasuke was a bastard, and he drove Naruto up every wall but a literal one. He was like walking cancer wrapped around human perfection. Naruto was constantly torn between wanting to fuck him until he screamed his name and wanting to rip out his throat so he could never speak another word.

It didn't have to be this way. Everyone else loved Sasuke, though Naruto was fairly sure it was only for his looks. But the very first thing out of that asshole’s mouth had been an insult of Naruto’s favorite color. Who even did that? Who saw someone in orange pajama pants and spat on the color orange as being something only a five year old enjoyed? Sasuke fucking Uchiha.

It made Kyuubi tense to a point Naruto hadn't been at since he first started his sessions with Iruka. The fox was the part of him that wanted to rip out Sasuke’s throat, but the rest of Naruto was only against it because of his own damn moral code. He wouldn't let the fox win, though. He had promised Hinata that as he stared down at her-

Not a good train of thought for controlling Kyuubi.

Naruto sat with Gaara, the only other person who didn't think Sasuke was the cat’s meow, and watched Kiba's repeated attempts to get the sullen ravenette to throw a ball for him. He hadn't yet, but he also hadn't shooed Kiba away like the orderlies did, so Naruto wasn't entirely pissed at his behavior, even if he had smirked at him and nearly jump-started an episode just five minutes before. Gaara was watching him watch Sasuke, and reached out slowly, like he thought Naruto would bite, to lay a hand on his arm. It wasn't often that Gaara initiated contact, so this got his attention away from the Uchiha instantly.

“Naru… do you need to see Dr. Umino? Ino will be done soon. I could… ask… Hatake.” He offered, and Naruto immediately found his center and control, shoving away the growls of Kyuubi in favor of grinning brightly at his friend.

“You'd really talk to an authority figure for me, wouldn't you?” That was huge progress for Gaara, who refused to speak to anyone he had to respect without their earning it. Iruka had gained his trust, and Kakashi was almost there, but he didn't speak directly to Kakashi yet unless the orderly asked him a question. It made Naruto actually see some hope for the ginger, and he carefully placed his hand on top of Gaara’s on his arm, smile softening. “Thanks, Ra, but I'm okay. Tomorrow is my day, and I won't be having an episode this afternoon, even if that bastard is in our group.”

That was one of the things that pissed Naruto off the most. He had to share his group with fucking Sasuke, who didn't even speak and mostly just stared at him with those pitch-black eyes. Naruto never knew what he was thinking, because his face was so perfectly composed, but it was surely not something nice. He hadn't said another word to Naruto since their initial explosion, and the only thing he'd said since then was when Kakashi asked him to share about himself and he said he didn't like things and hated lots of things and was going to kill a certain someone. Creep. Naruto was fairly sure he could take him in a fight if he had meant him, but he got the feeling Sasuke was talking about whoever got him admitted.

Gaara flushed slightly and locked his green eyes to the stack of napkins next to his plate. “Only to Hatake… and maybe just to Dr. Umino himself.” He muttered, glancing at the door that lead to the hallway of offices, one of which was labeled Dr. Iruka Umino.

Naruto was about to reply when that very door opened and Iruka entered the room with Ino, smiling softly at the girl as she cried and held onto his arm, at least until she saw Sakura standing up and bolted over to hug her. He didn't know what had happened in her session, but the blonde blubbered to Sakura until the pink-haired girl lead her gently toward a different door to the hallway that held their rooms. Iruka watched them go, then sighed. He scanned the room until his eyes fell on Naruto and Gaara, and he started in their direction.

“Well, I guess you don't have to.” Naruto shrugged and let Gaara retract his hand as Iruka got closer. The brunette and blonde smiled at each other. “Hey, Doc, you have too much time on your hands, or am I just the most entertaining thing you could think of?”

Gaara snorted softly, and Naruto grinned as Iruka laughed and shook his head. “Actually, Hana is bringing Akamaru and the Haimaru brothers in today, and I'm just waiting for her.” He smiled and sat next to Naruto, nodding to Gaara. “But that does leave me with about five extra minutes, so I can count that as free time.”

“Puppy therapy before lunch? Kiba may even talk by the end of the day!” Naruto grinned, turning to watch Kiba sitting cross legged on the floor next to Choji, and begging for chips with soft whimpers. He firmly ignored the taunts about stupid mutts from Kyuubi. It was better than the snarls about Sasuke, but also worse, in a way, because Naruto really liked Kiba.

Iruka chuckled and nodded. “I hope so. I've talked to Sarutobi, and Akamaru will be staying on full time after today. Hopefully, he’ll be as great a help to all of you as I think he will.” Iruka had been trying to get something like that to happen for a few months, and it seemed the old man was reasonable enough to agree to it.

“I just hope he doesn't step on Shikamaru’s shadow again.” Naruto huffed, remembering the only time the puppy had done so, and the way Nara had freaked out about it. Everyone knew better than to step on his shadow, but dogs couldn't understand things like that… Or at least that's what they thought before Akamaru started to actively avoid it on subsequent trips to the facility. He was smarter than some people Naruto knew.

“I also needed to talk to you about your time tomorrow.” Iruka started, and Naruto felt his stomach sinking, Kyuubi starting to growl. “Would you be okay with moving to an evening session just  for tomorrow?”

“Because of Sasuke, right?” Naruto growled, scowling at the boy across the room and watching dark eyes widen for a moment before they shifted away and that pale jaw tightened. Naruto wanted to leave bruises on it, but he wasn't sure what kind.

“Because he's a new case, and we do this for every new case before assigning them a time. You know that, Naruto; you never protest.” Iruka huffed, and Naruto fidgeted under his stern gaze, about to apologize when the main door opened and Hana Inuzuka walked in with the Three Haimaru Brothers. Akamaru trailed behind her, throwing off all conversation and sending all the patients into excited murmurs.

Iruka shot Naruto a look that said they'd be discussing his attitude later, but stood and moved away. He had to meet Hana just inside the door, Akamaru bouncing around him and barking excitedly, but he barely had time to get out a greeting before Kiba was standing next to them, beaming.

“Hana! Akamaru!” The boy blurted, immediately blinking in surprise at himself and dropping to all fours. Hana rolled with it, though, beaming at him.

“Kiba!” She exclaimed, with equal enthusiasm, and crouched to hug him, running a hand through his messy brown hair. “You're looking well, little brother. Though you do seem to need some additional grooming.” She teased, getting a happy bark and a nuzzle to the face. “I can cut your hair for you while I'm here if you want.”

Kiba frowned and seemed to hesitate a moment, but then Akamaru sat next to Hana and stared up at him with such expectation that he gave another bark and nodded. A hair cut would be good, if it was Hana doing it. He trusted her with his life. That was why he was here.

“Alright, I need to have Iruka sign some paperwork for Akamaru, so play nice until then!” She gave his hair one last ruffle, then stood and smiled at Iruka again while Kiba and Akamaru ran off across the room.

“It's been two weeks since he last spoke. I'm glad to see he reacts so well to you and Akamaru.” Iruka commented, and Hana took a shaky breath, looking back at him and watching as he and Akamaru took turns chasing the ball Naruto threw.

“That's the first time I've heard him say a single word since he was five.” Her voice shook slightly, and Iruka knew that this was hard on her, leaving her brother in the hands of strangers, and hoping they could help him rejoin society successfully. He sent her weekly updates, as he did with every family of those who wished it, but that was very different from hearing his voice herself.

She was a professional, though, and she composed herself flawlessly, pulling the paperwork for Akamaru from her bag. Iruka nodded and flipped through it, making sure it was all as they discussed, then signed the marked areas. He was just handing the paperwork back to her when a snapping noise split the air, and a hush fell over the room. All eyes were on the blonde and ravenette standing toe to toe in the center of it.

Naruto’s hand gripped a broken pencil, and Sasuke was glaring at the pencil in question, but Iruka had missed whatever lead up to this. He didn't, however, miss the look in Naruto’s eye, the fury that he recognized well and had hoped they'd seen the last of. Easing forward as no one else moved, he glanced between the boys, noting the way Sasuke was tensed but looked ready to bolt, whereas Naruto stood loosely and seconds from attacking. His eyes landed on Kakashi, standing on the other side of the room and ready to step in if necessary. He shook his head ever so slightly, and Kakashi nodded once. Iruka would be handling this.

“Naruto… are you listening to me?” He started. The blonde barely glanced in his direction, but that was enough of an answer. “Do you remember when we talked about the cage?” A soft growl left the boy's throat. Confirmation. “Can you put him back in the cage?” No response. That wasn't good. “I'm going to step between you and Sasuke now. Can you focus on me?”

Iruka had never been the target of one of Naruto’s attacks, and the blonde had noted on several occasions that his alter ego seemed to trust him, but he was still careful in his movements and didn't touch the man as he slipped between them. Blue eyes that seemed to spark with electricity met his soft brown, and Iruka could see the anger still very present there. Naruto gripped the pencil tighter, and blood dripped onto the floor, but no one in the room moved, and Iruka didn't look away for even a moment, until the war on the blonde’s face seemed to subside and those blue eyes dropped to the floor. “I need to go.” Naruto gritted out, and Iruka nodded.

“Come on, then.” His voice was just as firm as it always was when dealing with one of Naruto’s episodes. Iruka had learned early on that giving Kyuubi an inch meant he took 3 miles.

Naruto dropped the pencil, though some of the wood splinters stuck in his hand, and he slipped his other hand into Iruka’s in a request for physical reassurance. Iruka gave it, taking his hand gently and leading him back to his office. Naruto kept his eyes on the floor until the familiar soft green of Iruka’s carpet came into view, then glanced quickly at the doctor, who held his gaze silently as he closed the door behind them.

Naruto cleared his throat, and Iruka just waited for him to be able to speak. “Thank you.” He finally forced out, and the psychologist nodded.

“Of course. Can you tell me what triggered it?” He asked, and Naruto just shook his head.

“Nothing. I- Sasuke was just chewing the eraser, and K-Kyuubi almost took over, for no reason, Iruka.” Naruto sounded so lost and confused, as he had when they first began, and Iruka sighed. They had been doing so much better, for the last two months especially. He lead Naruto over to a chair, then let him go as he rounded his desk and pulled a small medical kit from the bottom drawer. Some of the patients tended to be rough on themselves as they worked through issues, and he'd cleaned up his share of bloody hands or bruises in his office, so he knelt next to Naruto and started to pick splinters from his palm before he responded.

“Sasuke affects Kyuubi differently than others, doesn't he?” Iruka hummed as he sprayed anti-bacterial spray onto the area Naruto had cut with his pencil stunt.

The blonde shifted uncomfortably in his chair and cleared his throat. “Yeah. Kyuubi… really wants to, uh-” He broke off, and Iruka watched his face flush, raising an eyebrow. “Fuck.” He said the word too mildly to be a swear at the way Iruka was wrapping his hand, and the brunette nodded his understanding. So far, Naruto had said he was relatively sure Kyuubi didn't appreciate anyone but Iruka, who had a calming influence, but if he was reacting so differently to Sasuke, that was certainly going to put a kink in Naruto’s therapy.

“Okay, Naruto, can you try something today and tell me how it goes tomorrow?” He requested, and wariness flashed through blue eyes before Naruto nodded. “Can you try talking to him during group? This is the first episode all week, so I know you still have a handle on yourself. Can you see how you feel when you aren't just glaring at him from across the circle?” Naruto pouted, and he was far too old for such a puppy-faced expression. “Yes, Kakashi told me about that.” Iruka huffed, but smiled, and Naruto gave him a small smile back.

“I'll try for you, but you have to stay until group is over in case of an… incident.” Honestly, Iruka would be no help if a full-on incident occurred, because Kyuubi couldn't be reasoned with by outside forces, but he agreed to it all the same.

Naruto left his office shortly after that, and Iruka took a moment to collect his thoughts before going to deal with the puppies.

It was going to be a long day, but at least they'd avoided any serious issues… He hoped it stayed that way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may have put this off for too long to warrant comments, but I request them anyway! They do make me write faster! Hope you liked it!


	3. Getting... Along?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoy this chapter, you can thank Breezygirl541 for leaving me a comment that made me so happy I pushed out of my stress and decided to write again!  
> On the other hand, if you don't like it, you can suck my non-existent dick! ^^  
> This is unbeta'd, so I apologize for the mistakes!

Naruto and Sasuke sat directly across from each other, their eyes fixed on the same spot of floor. Kakashi watched them, aware of the agreement Iruka made with both of them. So far, the group was silent and tense, watching them.

Sasuke cleared his throat and looked at Kakashi. “I like tomatoes. I hate… my brother. And I run my family’s international private security firm. One day, it will be back to the way it was… before.” He didn't offer anymore information, and Kakashi didn't ask him to, simply nodding and shifting his gaze to Naruto, who seemed to be staring at the floor with even more intensity. At least he wasn't growling or glaring. That counted as a win, in this case.

“Thank you, Sasuke. Naruto, would you like to share anything with the group?” He prodded gently, and Naruto’s shockingly blue eyes snapped up to meet his, full of anxiety and worry. Kakashi sighed inwardly and gave him his best reassuring smile. Some of the tension eased from the blonde, but he still fidgeted before he responded.

“I love the color orange.” He shot a glare at Sasuke as he said this. “I hate those crunchy bits people put in salads. Fucking croutons, ridiculous.” He rolled his eyes, and Sakura giggled at him, shaking her head. “And… I don't have a future. Kyuubi will kill me if I attempt to get rid of him.” This last bit wasn't new information to the group, but offering it in front of Sasuke was certainly unexpected. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at him, and Naruto turned his gaze to Sasuke, who was watching him with something like sadness in his eyes. It was the least-awful shared look Kakashi had ever seen from them, and it gave him a little bit of hope for how things would progress.

“Croutons are gross.” Sasuke added, and all eyes in the group fell on him. He just kept his eyes locked with Naruto’s, though, and a small smile flickered onto the blonde’s face.

“Tomatoes are delicious.” Naruto offered, and Sasuke smiled a bit himself, then hesitated and licked his lips.

“You can have a future here…. Not getting rid of… Kyuubi doesn't mean you can't live.” Something sparked in Naruto’s eyes when Sasuke said Kyuubi, and Kakashi was worried for a moment before Naruto slowly grinned, more widely and genuinely than anyone had ever seen so soon after an episode.

“Is that an offer, Uchiha?” His voice was lower than usual, an aspect usually meaning an incident was occuring, but Kakashi could see no other signs of Kyuubi's violence about to be unleashed. Naruto’s eyes were bright and sharp, but he was still grinning like a fox.

Sasuke dropped his gaze for the first time, but Naruto kept his eyes locked on the ravenette’s face. “I have to get out of here. I have a life to return to. We can't have a future.” His voice was emotionless, and Kakashi glanced between them. Sasuke had dropped some mask into place, and Naruto wasn't bothered by it at all. He was rather good at seeing through those from all his time around Gaara, but Kakashi couldn't tell if he saw through Sasuke or not.

He did, however, lean back in his chair, grin still sharp and eyes still fixed. “I wasn't talking about the future. I was talking about… living.” This was unusual for Naruto, and his voice still had that deeper growl to it, setting Kakashi on edge. Was Kyuubi active? Did he need to radio Iruka and restrain Naruto?

Sasuke’s gaze flickered back up Naruto, and he raised an eyebrow. “Were you, Kyuubi?” He said quietly, and Naruto froze, something shifting in his face. He held Sasuke’s eyes, still staring, but a soft whimper left his throat and he dropped his gaze to the floor.

No one moved a muscle as Naruto stared at the ground in silence, face twisting into a grimace before straightening out. He blinked quickly a few times, before frightened eyes flickered up at Kakashi, then Sasuke.

“H-how did you-” He broke off and growled, shaking his head. “Shit, I-” Suddenly, he stopped and sighed. “I'm okay. How did you know?”

Kakashi was rather curious about that himself. When Naruto had an incident, he went postal. He had to be restrained and sedated until Kyuubi wore himself out so Naruto could put him back in his cage. He had never had an incident during group, or stayed so calm during one, but Naruto’s shaking hands and current behavior clearly reflected his former state.

Sasuke kept his mask firmly in place, but still stared at Naruto as he responded. “No one who loves the color orange talks about sex so openly.” He deadpanned. Naruto scowled at him again, the former feeling of peace between them completely gone.

“Naruto, you-” Kakashi started, and the blonde grimaced.

“Yeah, I know!” He snapped, standing up quickly and stalking over to the door that lead to the office portion of the facility. He needed to go report to Iruka and probably needed to be strapped to a table for a week like Mizuki had after his last, more violent, incident. He'd nearly smashed in Choji’s head with a table during that incident. This one had, somehow, seemed so much more frightening to him.

~*~

Gaara’s eyes dropped onto Sasuke as soon as the door closed behind Naruto. “Speak to him like that again… and I'll kill you.” He said, crossing his arms, and heard Sakura gasp, but Sasuke’s eyes just narrowed slightly.

Kakashi spoke before he got a reply, however. “Gaara. Enough.” He reprimanded, and the ginger pinned him with a dark stare.

He stayed silent, though, and tried to ignore the way Mother growled and thrashed inside him, demanding blood for the disrespect he'd received. He wasn't going to be letting anything happen that could possibly tamper with his memories of the exchange he'd just watched, however, so he lulled her back into complacency and ignored everything going on around them. He didn't have to do it for long before the group was splitting off, and he simply nodded to Kakashi before heading toward his room. Not that he went to his room, when Naruto’s was half a hallway closer and would also contain his best friend at some point. He sat on the bed, leaning against the wall and staring at the space Naruto usually sat in when they actually had a normal moment of hanging out like this. That thought and the peace he always felt here lulled his mind into tranquility, and he didn't even realize he was falling until he was already asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! :D comments are the actual fuel I run on, so I will def post things faster if I have more of them!

**Author's Note:**

> Heh... Heh... Um... Comments? Questions? I'll be writing the next chapter unless I get overwhelming amounts if negatives, so... Chapter two will be up maybe tomorrow? If you guys.... Enjoy it... ^^'


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